*34 weeks*

< --- Rob took this photo of me in the wine cellar where my baby shower was held this past Sunday afternoon.

And what a wonderful shower it was...

There will be lots more pix to come...I promise.

P.S. Consider it my Week 34 belly shot;-)

Letter to a Bean 8

Dear Bean,

Well...we're really starting to get close now! This is week 34 & we are only 45 days away from our due date! Your Daddy and I are getting sOoOoOoOoOo excited to finally meet you.

We went to the hospital this past Monday night for a tour of their labor & delivery ward. It was really neat to get a chance to see everything in advance so that we'll know what to expect when the time comes that you're ready to make your GRAND ENTRANCE into the world! I think it's really neat that you will be born in the very same building that I was born in 30 years ago:)

We had another appointment with Dr. Heinzel yesterday afternoon & he told us that everything was looking great. Your heartbeat was at 130 beats/minute and you are already in a head-down position! You were this way when he checked you at our last appointment 2 weeks ago...and so now he believes that this is how you'll stay up & through our delivery day. This is great news, Bean...because head-down is just the perfect position for you to be born in! Thanks for helping Mommy out:) I appreciate it!

Tomorrow is your Daddy's birthday & I would like to take him somewhere special for dinner! Before long, we won't be able to travel as lightly as we can now anymore. We'll need all sorts of special things with us for you, once you are out of my belly:)

Ah well, Bean. That's all for today. Have a good day in there. Stay cozy & warm. I will be seeing you very, very S-O-O-N.

xoxo
Your Mom

Thirty-three

Here are some photos that Rob just took of me, now in my 33rd week:)

Tonight we go to Lankenau for our hospital tour of labor & delivery! Fun times:)

P.S. Only 49 days till "D" day! ! !

New Ultrasound Pic

Bean's sweet little profile:)

Taken @ 31 weeks, 3 days: 07.10.08

31 weeks!

Yesterday was an incredible day. Mom, Rob & I went back to the hospital for my growth ultrasound. It was *so great* to see our little Bean again!

They told us that she is growing just as she should be and weighs around 3 1/2 pounds already! She winked at us twice when her face was up on the ultrasound screen and then she even stuck her little tongue out at us:)

She looked so much more "filled out" than she did at our last ultrasound. You can really tell that she is starting to plump up and I love that we got the chance to see her again to confirm that she is doing OK in there. We also got confirmation from another ultrasound tech as well as another doctor that she is, in fact, a GIRL;-)

Because Photo Updates are FUN.

Baby's going to be STYLIN' in her Peg stroller;-)

Daddy's 1st Father's Day gifts from the Bean:)

Letter to a Bean 7

Dear Bean,

Hey there, littlest one! It's been awhile since I've written. This month has been a busy time for us! Your Daddy and I have been gallavanting all over the place, seeing Pearl Jam time & time again:) As always when they're in town, it's been wonderful...

I hope you could hear them in all of their majesty;-) My books say that you have been able to hear sounds outside of the womb since about the 5-month mark...so I'm betting that you heard it all! We are in our 30th week now-which means we're about 7 1/2 months along! I can hardly believe that we've come so far, so fast.

You got LOTS of attention at the shows! So many friends rubbed my belly in hopes of feeling a nudge from you & so many others bent down to whisper you a few words:) Hopefully you heard all of that going on, too.

I can't believe how much I can feel you move these days! Last Monday night, Daddy and I even SAW you move for the first time! We were standing in the kitchen and I was wearing a pink shirt when...all of a sudden...we saw my shirt move back & forth!!!!! It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Ever since that day, I have been noticing your bumps & kicks more than ever. Last night I couldn't fall asleep because I didn't want to have to stop watching you roll my belly all around. You were bopping all around in there & it just looked sOoOoOo cool:)

Daddy & I get to go back to the hospital to get one more ultrasound of you on July 10th. Dr. Laverin is calling it a "growth ultrasound". He wants to make sure that you are growing at a good strong pace & that he predicted our due date correctly. Hopefully he did because I couldn't imagine having to wait even longer to meet you!

Well Bean, I suppose that's all for today. I am going to go get us something cold to drink. I've been awfully thirsty today.

I love you & will be seeing you soon:)

xoxo
Mom

*Photographic Update*

*27 weeks*

...I picked this up to add a dash of pink to the nursery...

*baby's first hoodie*

*baby's first...er...second pair of chuck taylors*

Letter to a Bean 6

Dear Bean,

Well, we've made it comfortably into our 3rd trimester! Here we are in our 28th week now and things seem to be going as well as they could be for us. Short of some (pretty terrible) heartburn last week, I'm still feeling really good. You are bopping around in there all the time and you're getting bigger & stronger by the week. I can tell because I'm feeling you move more & more often. Last Friday, my mom & Mom-Mom (your Mom-mom & Nonna) were able to feel your movements for the first time! That was an exciting day. I had to drink 2 glasses of cold water first...but it worked like a charm because you started squirming around all over the place after that;-)

I wonder why that happens...

Can you feel the cold? I wonder what it feels like to you in there...

I read today that you can open & close your eyes & that you weigh over 2 pounds now. You're getting so big! I wonder how much you'll weigh when you're born...?

Over the weekend, your Dad told me that he has been wondering how much hair you will have and what color it will be. I wonder that as well...and what color your eyes will be, too! I wonder if they'll be brown like mine...or blue, like his?

We haven't settled on a name for you yet, although there are quite a few pretty ones that we are considering. It's just so hard to choose one & be sure that its the right one for you...

We have our next OB appointment tomorrow afternoon. I love that your Dad comes with me every time. He loves to listen to your heartbeat and to everything that the doctor tells me about my belly & you inside of it;-) You & I are both very lucky to have someone like him in our lives. He is going to make such a wonderful Daddy.

We can't wait to meet you. Just 90 more days to go now till our due date! I know it will be here before we know it.

Well, have a good day in there. I will be seeing you soon:)

Love,
Mom

Impeccable Timing:)

Although this is my first pregnancy, I have been anxiously awaiting the day that Pearl Jam would release authorized baby clothing for years. Since so many of their most devoted are in the prime of their child bearing years right now, I knew in my heart that it was nothing more than a matter of time...

Now...as of today, the only anxious wait I have remaining is the one for them to arrive in my mailbox!!!

P.S. Special thanks to Ursula & Joe for their voicemail messages last night:)

Double Digits:)

As of yesterday, we are officially under the 100 day mark!

Only 98 days to go till we meet our little girl...

There is still SO MUCH to do to prepare for her arrival.

In the meantime: Keep on growing strong in there, little bean.

We love & can't wait to meet you.

Bunny Meadow

We also recently decided on Bean's crib bedding -->

Its called Bunny Meadow & I find it to be just the perfect combination of modern & organic/nature-inspired...

I'm thinking that her room will be ecru, chocolate & sage...along with just a pop or 2 of light pink here and there, to add a bit of girlish flavor;-)

Decorating might truly be my favorite pastime. I can't WAIT for this room to all come together:)

Baby Appleseed

After much deliberation & research (& indecisiveness!) we finally chose the furniture for Bean's nursery. The order has been placed & it should be delivered to us in about 10 weeks.

Yay to that!

The company who makes it is called Baby Appleseed and when you purchase one of their cribs, they plant 10 trees in your baby's name. How cool is that?! My little Bean is already a little environmentalist!

I'm so proud of her;-)

The collection we chose is called Davenport and we ordered her a crib, a combo dresser/changing table & a tall dresser. Its all so beautiful and I can't wait to set it up in her room.

I'm so glad that we took so long shopping around because I wasn't truly excited about anything that we'd seen until we saw this one...

I just love it.

Hopefully Bean will love it just as much.

15 weeks to go!

Today completes my 25th week of pregnancy...

Here's a photo that Rob took of me over the weekend -->

It sure seems that Bean is growing big & strong in there...

Just look at that belly poppin' out! ;-)

thenest.com tells me that she is as big as an EGGPLANT now:)

My Bouncing Baby Girl

Though it may have taken forever for me to first feel her move...now I feel her all the time! And let me just tell you.........it's the best:)

Last night when he got home from work, Rob got to feel her for the first time, too! She moved twice for him, in fact. It was really exciting. We had been waiting for that moment for a long time...

I notice that she moves most often when I am the most still...most always when I am laying down or sitting...and sometimes right after I've eaten something.

I'm sure she will be moving all the time soon enough...but feeling her flop around in there just every now & again is sOoOoOo special to me right now.

I will cherish these moments forever:)

Prego Pals

Rob took this photo of Dawn & I on Friday, May 9th...me in my 23rd week & she in her 30th.

Her little boy is due to arrive about 2 months before my little girl is!

Hopefully they will get to grow up together & be great friends:)

Letter to a Bean 5

Dear Bean,

How are you doing, my littlest love?

We are just entering our 24th week...and 24 has been my lucky number for as long as I can remember...so this is bound to be an extra special week for us:)

I have been patiently waiting to feel you move for weeks & you have finally obliged my silent requests:) For the past 4 days, I have felt you move every single day!! It happens the most often when I am driving or after I eat or drink something and its truly just the coolest feeling ever. Sometimes it feels like you are lightly tickling me and other times it feels like you are flipping around in there like a little fish! One night over the weekend, Daddy & I were watching a movie and you made me jump TWICE! Those were more than just tickles...I think they might have been your first actual kicks;-)

This past Sunday was Mother's Day and so many of our friends & family members were nice enough to acknowledge me as a Mom in spite of the fact that you haven't been born yet;-) I got cards, emails & text messages and they all made me feel so special & happy. Just a few more months & I will be a MOM.

I still can hardly believe it.

Well, Miss Bean...I hope you're having a nice day in there. Please continue to kick & tickle me often.

See you soon.

Love,
Mom

Letter to a Bean 4

Hey Bean:)

How are you doing in there? I can't believe that it's May already. We are flying right through this pregnancy, aren't we?

It was the greatest feeling to see you last week during our ultrasound. You looked wonderful:) Thanks for cooperating for us because now that we know that you're a girl, we are able to buy cute things for you as we find them & that is LOTS of fun for mommy! I bought you your first pair of Chuck Taylors yesterday and they just might be the cutest little things I have ever seen. I can't wait for you to be able to wear them.

Daddy & I had another visit with the OB yesterday afternoon. This time we met the third & final doctor in the practice: Dr. Heinzel. He was really funny & very nice. We liked him a lot. He said that your heart rate was measuring at about 155 beats per minute & he also said that its a good sign that it seems to be going up & down. We were glad to hear that. It still sounds like galloping horses to me!

While we were there, we also learned that I have what's called an "anterior placenta." Dr. Heinzel said that this is why I haven't been able to feel you moving or kicking yet; because my placenta is positioned right in the front of my belly & it is acting like an extra cushion between us! So you will have to get a bit bigger and stronger before I will be able to feel you move through all of that padding! So grow-grow-grow, little bean;-)

After the appointment, we visited a baby furniture store and found a beautiful set that I think we may end up getting for your nursery. We're going to look around a bit more first though...just to be sure that we love that one best of all. Next we'll have to pick out your bedding set. Its so hard to choose one because there are so many out there. I wish you could tell me what your favorite color is because I am having a very hard time deciding what color to paint your room!!

Ah well. Its about time for lunch again. Honey Bunches of Oats with banana slices & vanilla soy milk sounds delicious to me today:) I am going to go get us some.

Have a good day, my love. I will see you soon.

xoxo
Your Mom

Ultrasound Pix

*Bean's profile*

Look @ those lil' bitty feet!

You can really see her spine in this one:)

Sugar & Spice

Our ultrasound day will officially go down in history as one of the greatest days of my life:) WHAT a truly positive & exciting experience it was.

I brought my mom & Rob with me to Lankenau and we ended up with a very sweet ultrasound tech named Janene. Having the 2 of them by my side made for a genuinely special & intimate time that I will always remember.

Janene pointed out Bean's every body part to us as she located & checked it: the arms & legs & fingers & toes...the spinal cord...the 4 chambers of the heart...the kidneys...the bladder...even the different parts of the brain! It was such an amazing feeling to truly SEE our baby for the first time. I didn't want it to ever end.

We learned that she is about 10 inches long now & her heart rate measured at 161 beats/minute. They said that everything looks great so far, as far as they can tell:)

Both Janene & the doctor who came in to check the baby after her told us (independently of each other) what we are having and I am ELATED to tell you that, as it turns out...

...WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!!

After the ultrasound, Rob & I took a drive out to Lancaster to do some outlet shopping where we picked out a bunch of cute onesies & things for baby, along with her very first pair of shoes; a pair of silver Mary Janes from the Children's Place:) I find that it is now an impossibility to not at least peek into the baby girl section at each & every store I find myself in.

And as you can plainly tell from my 21-week photo (above), she is definitely beginning to make her presence more & more visible by the day;-)

24 hours...and counting!

We've officially reached the 24-hour mark for our Big Ultrasound countdown! Tomorrow morning at this time Rob & I will be at the hospital, looking at our Baby Bean for the first time since January:)

And I am in my 21st week now, officially having passsed the halfway point! This is all so overwhelming; I can hardly contain my excitement:)

I have been feeling really good these days, short of this weird finger numbing "pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome" I get from time to time. Oh & I got a "charley horse"/muscle cramp in my left leg the other day for the first time ever. Apparently this is a common occurence for pregnant women...but man...it hurt like you would NOT believe!

I finally bought my first pair of maternity jeans at Old Navy & must admit that I love them. I'm going to have to start shopping for some maternity work pants in the next few days too because everything is getting tight in the waist...

Rob & I are in the process of looking up lullabye guitar tab so that he can play songs for baby, both before & after (s)he is born:) Apparently from 5 months on, their ears are fully formed & functional enough that they can hear everything...even outside the womb...so we've decided that its now time for Daddy to start the line of communication in the way he knows best;-)

Updated belly pix & ultrasound pix will be forthcoming in the next few days, so be sure to stay tuned...

Wish us luck tomorrow!!!

...xoxo...

P.S. www.thenest.com says baby is a "cantaloupe" now. Awwww:)

Almost...

...halfway there:)

I can hardly believe how far this pregnancy has come already. I am a few days into week 19 now. What an unbelieveable journey this has been.

And we are only 15 days away from our BIG ultrasound! We scheduled it for 9:00am on Thursday, April 24th. Rob & I will both go, of course...and I think my mom will come with us as well. I hope the bean cooperates & they are able to tell us the sex. We are SO anxious to know!

I thought that on Monday afternoon, while sitting at my desk at work around 2pm, I may have felt the baby move for the first time...but I can't be sure. I felt a sort of pressure/pushing sensation on the right side of my belly...and then I felt it again a minute or 2 later. It might have just been my uterus stretching or something...but it was definitely a distinct feeling that I haven't felt before. I am trying to be super consicious of what's happening down there so that I am sure not to miss baby trying to get my attention:) Hopefully I will feel him/her soon enough & be able to be certain that its baby & not just gas or my stretching uterus! LOL

If any of you who've been through this before have any advice as far as that's concerned...I am all ears:)

...xoxo...

Eighteen

So this is me on the first day of my 18th week...and I definitely have a little baby belly starting to poke out;-)

It was actually much easier to notice after I asked Rob to shoot a couple of profile shots of me.

Photography is such a beautiful thing!

We had our 3rd OB/GYN appointment today & got to meet Dr. Rudo's partner, Dr. Laverin. He was awesome! As was expected, the bean's heartbeat has slowed down since the last time we were there about a month ago. The last time it was in the mid 160's and today it was at 132. It still sounded beautiful as ever, though:)

Dr. Laverin gave us the prescription to make our "big ultrasound" appointment @ Lankenau. I am going to call tomorrow & try to set that up. Its super exciting to think that in just a few weeks, we will know whether Baby Bean is a boy or a girl!

I think we are going to try to take profile photos like this one every week or 2 throughout the remainder of my pregnancy. I think they will be neat to look back on once the baby is born:)

Avocado Baby

Letter to a Bean 3/aka Avocado Week

Dear Bean,

Though it seems hard to believe...we've just completed our 16th week already! Just under 4 weeks to go & we will be at the halfway mark...

And just 5 more months 'til we get to meet you!!!

I am told that you are about 5 inches long now & weigh as much as an avocado. How perfect that our little Pearl Jam baby is being compared to an avocado:) That makes me smile just to think of it.

I am feeling good; the headaches are less frequent & I seem to be less and less tired as the days go by. Last night I stayed up past 11pm...which was unheard of during my first trimester!

I read today that you are going to be going through a big growth spurt in the next few weeks. How exciting!! I imagine that I will start to "show" over the course of the next month or so, since I haven't really started to yet. I am still wearing all of my regular clothes but don't imagine that I will be able to for very much longer.

We go back to see the doctor this coming Tuesday. We are meeting Dr. Rudo's partner this time because the office wants us to get to know each of the doctors in the practice, in case Dr. Rudo happens to be out or on vacation when it comes time to deliver you. I hope that this new doctor is nice. Dr. Rudo said that this will be the appointment where we are given the prescription for our "big ultrasound"! Once we schedule that, I'm sure that your Dad and I will be counting down the days until we find out whether you are a boy or a girl!!!

It seems that a lot of people are thinking that you are a girl. I sit & wonder every day if they are right. It seems so unbelieveable that in just about a month, all of that wondering will be overwith!

Another thing I read this week was that you are starting to be able to hear around now. Ever since I read that, I have been trying to talk to you, in hopes that you can hear me. Today I told you that we were having hummus & fresh vegetables for lunch. I also sing a lot in the car...so I guess you are going to have to get used to that;-)

Well, my little avocado...be well in there. Grow strong & continue to be as good to me as you have been so far. Your Daddy & I are taking you to your first Pearl Jam shows in June, lucky little avocado baby that you are:) I can't wait till you are born so that we can get you your very own fan club number! You will thank us for that when you're older...promise;-)

Happy week 17 to us. I love you & will be seeing you soon.

Love,
Mom